Process simulation and analysis of carbon capture with an aqueous mixture of ionic liquid and monoethanolamine solvent

This study investigated the prospect of using aqueous mixture of 1-butylpyridinium tetrafluoroborate ([Bpy][BF4]) ionic liquid (IL) and monoethanolamine (MEA) as solvent in post-combustion CO2 capture (PCC) process. This is done by analysis of the process through modelling and simulation. In literature, reported PCC models with a mixture of IL and MEA solvent were developed using equilibrium-based mass transfer approach. In contrast, the model in this study is developed using rate-based mass transfer approach in Aspen Plus®. From the results, the mixed aqueous solvent with 5–30 wt% IL and 30 wt% MEA showed 7%–9% and 12%–27% less specific regeneration energy and solvent circulation rate respectively compared to commonly used 30 wt% MEA solvent. It is concluded that the IL concentration (wt%) in the solvent blend have significant impact on specific regeneration energy and solvent circulation rate. This study is a starting point for further research on technical and economic analysis of PCC process with aqueous blend of IL and MEA as solvent

Test results of CO2 spray scrubbing with Monoethanolamine

AbstractCO2 spray scrubbing was tested with Monoethanolamine (MEA) as an absorption solvent. The spray scrubber with a standard stripping unit attached was erected at a laboratory at the University of Leoben. The main goal of the design process was to create a pilot plant, which could operate under realistic conditions. This resulted in a maximum gas flow rate of 160 m3/hSTP and a maximum liquid flow of 2 m3/h. The dimensions of the spray tower allow a gas velocity of 2.5 m/s. The concentration of the absorption liquid is adapted to common practice and set to 30 w%. During the first test campaign with a single nozzle scrubber the functionality and the behavior of the test facility was studied. A continuous working pilot operation was successfully demonstrated. Some parameters like e.g. liquid to gas (L/G) ratio or different spray nozzles have been varied during these tests and their influence has been analyzed and evaluated. In addition, the influence of altered parameters on the energy required in the reboiler could be observed

Exercise Echocardiography Predicts Future Development of Pulmonary Hypertension in a High-risk Cohort of Patients with Systemic Sclerosis

Objective.To evaluate whether a positive exercise echocardiogram (EE) predicts future development of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) in a high-risk cohort of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc).Methods.Patients with SSc with features associated with an increased risk for PAH were recruited into a prospective, observational cohort. All patients underwent clinical assessment and EE. A positive EE was defined as an increase of ≥ 20 mmHg in the right ventricular systolic pressure with exercise. All patients with positive EE underwent right heart catheterization (RHC).Results.The study included 85 patients. In the positive EE cohort, 10 of 43 patients (23%) developed resting pulmonary hypertension (PH) on RHC over a mean 4-year followup period [4 with PAH, 5 with pulmonary venous hypertension (PVH), and 1 with PH associated with interstitial lung disease]. In the persistently negative EE cohort, only 3 of 42 patients (7%) developed resting PH (1 PAH, 2 PVH; p = 0.04). Of the remaining 33 patients in the positive EE group who did not develop resting PH, 22 (67%) had a persistently positive EE over an average 5-year followup period.Conclusion.In this high-risk cohort of patients with SSc, a positive EE may predict the future development of resting PH. In addition, a majority of patients may have a persistently positive EE for years without progression to resting PH. Finally, a consistently negative EE may identify patients at low risk for future PH.</jats:sec

Comprehensive analysis of structural variants in breast cancer genomes using single-molecule sequencing

Improved identification of structural variants (SVs) in cancer can lead to more targeted and effective treatment options as well as advance our basic understanding of the disease and its progression. We performed whole-genome sequencing of the SKBR3 breast cancer cell line and patient-derived tumor and normal organoids from two breast cancer patients using Illumina/10x Genomics, Pacific Biosciences (PacBio), and Oxford Nanopore Technologies (ONT) sequencing. We then inferred SVs and large-scale allele-specific copy number variants (CNVs) using an ensemble of methods. Our findings show that long-read sequencing allows for substantially more accurate and sensitive SV detection, with between 90% and 95% of variants supported by each long-read technology also supported by the other. We also report high accuracy for long reads even at relatively low coverage (25×-30×). Furthermore, we integrated SV and CNV data into a unifying karyotype-graph structure to present a more accurate representation of the mutated cancer genomes. We find hundreds of variants within known cancer-related genes detectable only through long-read sequencing. These findings highlight the need for long-read sequencing of cancer genomes for the precise analysis of their genetic instability

Demonstration of a Concentrated Potassium Carbonate Process for CO2 Capture

A precipitating potassium carbonate (K2CO3)-based solvent absorption process has been developed by the Cooperative Research Centre for Greenhouse Gas Technologies (CO2CRC) for capturing carbon dioxide (CO2) from industrial sources, such as power plant flue gases. Demonstration of this process is underway using both a laboratory-based pilot plantlocated at The University of Melbourne and an industrial pilot plant located at the Hazelwood Power Station in Victoria, Australia. The laboratory-scale pilot plant has been designed to capture 4-10 kg/h CO2 from an air/CO2 feed gas rate of 30-55 kg/h. The power-station-based pilot plant has been designed to capture up to 1 tonne/day CO2 from the flue gas of a browncoal-fired power station. In this paper, results from trials using concentrated potassium carbonate (20-40 wt %) solvent are presented for both pilot plants. Performance data (including pressure drop, holdup, solvent loadings, temperature profile, and CO2 removal efficiency) have been collected from each plant and presented for a range of operating conditions. Plant data for thelaboratory-scale pilot plant (including temperature profiles, solvent loadings, and exit gas CO2 concentrations) have been used to validate and further develop Aspen Plus simulations, in anticipation of further work involving precipitation and the industry based pilot plant